Water management in a sunny, hot climate

[pinewoodacres]

I tried nipple waterers and cups for my flock and didn’t have great luck. It seemed like they couldn’t get enough water with the nipples, and the nipples and cups both seemed to get clogged irreversibly over time. The cups also had tons of dirt in them always bc of the dust bathing (our area is very sandy).

I am using the cheap founts from Tractor now and the algae issue (or whatever grossness it is exactly) is terrible. It happened with the nipple/cup containers also but not as badly. I need to change it up.

I want to put shade sails in the run but going into winter, it will probably wait till spring at this point. But I am trying to figure out how to handle their water for the long term. I was imagining a nipple or cup system with a horizontal PVC pipe but will that get algae still? I can probably try to elevate it so there is less dirt getting in but I would love to go back to nipples if someone can reassure me that they’re able to drink enough in our Florida heat.

I was going to connect the pipe to some kind of opaque bucket (they go through about 5 gallons a day) but the colored ones would prob heat up too much. Sometimes I change the water even if they didn’t drink it all bc even in the white containers, it gets too hot.

One other thought is I could build basically a roof over what would become a water station to help prevent the algae and also the water getting heated up.

Any advice? I’m open to ideas.

 

[3KillerBs]

Here in central North Carolina I've had great luck with the horizontal nipples.

I keep multiple waterers in the coop and run to make sure they never run out.

 

[3KillerBs]

P.S. If you make your own waterers don't forget to drill a tiny hole just under the rim of the lid to break the vacuum.

 

[Texgal57]

I tried nipple waterers and cups for my flock and didn’t have great luck. It seemed like they couldn’t get enough water with the nipples, and the nipples and cups both seemed to get clogged irreversibly over time. The cups also had tons of dirt in them always bc of the dust bathing (our area is very sandy).

I am using the cheap founts from Tractor now and the algae issue (or whatever grossness it is exactly) is terrible. It happened with the nipple/cup containers also but not as badly. I need to change it up.

I want to put shade sails in the run but going into winter, it will probably wait till spring at this point. But I am trying to figure out how to handle their water for the long term. I was imagining a nipple or cup system with a horizontal PVC pipe but will that get algae still? I can probably try to elevate it so there is less dirt getting in but I would love to go back to nipples if someone can reassure me that they’re able to drink enough in our Florida heat.

I was going to connect the pipe to some kind of opaque bucket (they go through about 5 gallons a day) but the colored ones would prob heat up too much. Sometimes I change the water even if they didn’t drink it all bc even in the white containers, it gets too hot.

One other thought is I could build basically a roof over what would become a water station to help prevent the algae and also the water getting heated up.

Any advice? I’m open to ideas.

One of my waterers is an igloo water cooler with nipples. It's hands down the best one for me. Because it is totally enclosed there is never any algae, dirt and super easy to clean. Also, it's easy to put ice packs in it during the summer (I'm in Texas) At first, the nipple area would get algae and the company made a cover for it and it took care of that. Another one I have is plastic and gets algae, but this year I attached sun shade behind it and it really did help with the algae and water temp. Some of my chickens prefer the nipples, while others like the more open waterer. I had the PVC pipe type but can't remember why I switched!

 

[Ridgeback825]

Here was my fix. I'm in Florida, so it gets hot and we have lots of sun and this stays cool with no alge problems. It holds about 5 gallons with a waterer in the hen house and inside run. I simply use a turkey baster to clean out the upper cup and just hose out the lower one in the run. Our inside run has gravel, so dirt really isn't an issue but we also have a pair of pekin ducks that can make mud anywhere. 

 

[The Non Perfect Mom]

P.S. If you make your own waterers don't forget to drill a tiny hole just under the rim of the lid to break the vacuum.

View attachment 3273777

OoooooMmmmmmggggggggg

 

[The Non Perfect Mom]

OoooooMmmmmmggggggggg

I wondered why only my Apha roo out of 100 other chickens was the only one strong enough to get a sip of water

 

[EddieSalita]

I'm in Queensland Australia. It's 90-100f for 8 months of the year. We usually get a week or two of 110 each year aroundChristmas. I've tried the nipples. Horizontal I think are adequate. But I come back to the old school stainless drinker in the shade. It's infallible simple technology. It needs filling every 3 days for a dozen or so birds. Never has algae. Because i take ot out to refill it, i can give it a quick clean at that time. Each morning I just give it a swish where it hangs and tip out the tray to make sure any dust or crud is washed out. I don't want them to have to work for a drink, and if they want to dunk their wattles, they can.
Their run has lots of nice shade. Malabar chestnut trees, citrus trees, Thai basil bushes, qld arrowroot stands, mini tumeric forest, cassava palms.

If I know it's going to be a really nasty day I often give the ground in an area a good sprinkling to create some damp in the shade for them to dig in. I also have a mister setup. The mister is the best way to drop the temp in an area by 10-20%. It doesn't use much water, and it's usually only for the danger days of 110+

The mister is a game changer for the really hot days. If it gets to the point they need to pant. They usually just flop down under the mist area and cool down quickly. It's always easy for them to get a big drink from an old style drinker, and the water is always cool.

I give them a soaked feed in the mornings so they start out nice and hydrated. I also add some electrolytes to their water on the really hot days. Subjectively i think it makes a difference.

Drinker: https://www.bainbridgevet.com.au/product-group/2467-stainless-steel-poultry-drinker/product

Mister example: https://www.amazon.com/Misters-Outs...jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

 

[Morrigan]

I live in a hot sunny climate and am on well water. I've tried about every watering system under the sun. Nipple waterers clog. Plastic gravity waterers grow algae like it's their job, even in the shade. They are also awkward to clean and fill. Metal waterers don't grow algae, but the water in them develops a nasty smell within 24 hours (probably something to do with my well water).

I now use rubber or plastic bowls, set on a large pavers in the shade and wash and refill every day or so. They are easy to clean, when I need a chicken sitter, they are easy for them to fill and monitor. Multiple chickens can drink out of them at once. The biggest drawback is that they dirty quickly, particular in the summer when some chicken like to stand in them.

I still have a couple of the old plastic gravity waterers that I see use as back-up or when I have chicks. They do grow a lot of algae, but I've noticed that the water always smells fresh -- much, much better then the water in the metal waterers -- and the chickens don't seem to have a problem with it. After 10 years of chicken keeping, I've concluded that whatever algae grows in my water must not be harmful to chickens. I still keep the pan portion clean -- which alone is a bit of a pain.